La Huerta del Retiro, Seville  1875

In 1859, Rico received a scholarship to study in France. Rejected as a pupil by Daubigny, Rico turned to sketching outdoor river scenes near Paris on his own. He was encouraged in these pursuits by Alexandre Calame, the Swiss view-painter, and was later befriended by Camille Pissarro. His art, however, reflected the influence of the light-drenched landscapes of his country...